Howdy: Dr. Pete meets and greets

Any OSU fan worth his orange t-shirt knows the Pistol Pete legend.

He was a lawman, author, and cowboy whose real name was Frank Eaton.  In the 1920s, Eaton was asked by Oklahoma A&M students to be a model for the campus mascot. He was officially sanctioned as the symbol of OSU in 1984. 

At OSU-CHS, a special version of Pistol Pete sports a stethoscope and is called Dr. Pete. His likeness has emerged from a tree on the campus thanks to the artistry and expertise of local chainsaw artist Clayton Coss.  Coss carved the new Dr. Pete that now greets visitors to the east entrance courtyard from the problematic old Sycamore that once towered over the center. Based on its size, Coss thinks that the tree was perhaps as much as 80 years old.

Coss carved Dr. Pete in a process that took place over several days. 

“He is a good subject,” Coss said.  “His face has character and offers somewhere to go artistically with the hat, the eyes and the mustache.”

“Sycamore is softer wood and it makes for good carving,” Coss said. It was touch-and-go for a time as he coped with a hollow area in the old tree trunk. He was able to solve the problem and “complete the Pete.”